Back Country Skiing

[Exrunner]

wooo hoooo!!!!! this is my topic! Im 20 as of this january, and have been skiing since I was 5 years old...my father was an instructer and used to yank me out of kindergarten to ski...ha ha...the good ole days. Anyway, Ive been to a lot of East Coast places, and like them, but nothing touches out west. Ive been to Aspen, Snowmass (CO), and Park City, and the Canyons in Utah. I used to be into the freestyle/park stuff, but kinda got out of it. Im totally in love with the HUGE double blacks outwest, so backcountry tough techinical skiing is where its at for me. I love to ski, and will do it till the day I die. My equip is Volkl 169cm twin tips, Look Pivot bindings, Nordica freestyle boots, and some cheapy Axis poles that I beat the heck out of. Good topic! Keep up the posts.

[upcruiser]

wooo hoooo!!!!! this is my topic! Im 20 as of this january, and have been skiing since I was 5 years old...my father was an instructer and used to yank me out of kindergarten to ski...ha ha...the good ole days. Anyway, Ive been to a lot of East Coast places, and like them, but nothing touches out west. Ive been to Aspen, Snowmass (CO), and Park City, and the Canyons in Utah. I used to be into the freestyle/park stuff, but kinda got out of it. Im totally in love with the HUGE double blacks outwest, so backcountry tough techinical skiing is where its at for me. I love to ski, and will do it till the day I die. My equip is Volkl 169cm twin tips, Look Pivot bindings, Nordica freestyle boots, and some cheapy Axis poles that I beat the heck out of. Good topic! Keep up the posts.

Sweet! I've got a set of Volkl Karma 184's and love them. In fact I was only planning on using them for powder and screwing around on, but now I use them for everything. They ski like a fat GS board and are super stable at speed and hold respectable too. I also have a pair of Allstars in 178cm, 6 Stars in 173, P60 SL's in 165, and GS's in 183's. The Allstars are pretty kickass boards too, especially for railing 'em. Those are my current skis that I use frequently I probably have another dozen or so pairs of older stuff from various years that I don't use anymore but hold onto anyway. For boots I have 2 pairs of Tecnica Diablo Races and a pair of Tecnica labeled Alpine Touring boots that are actually Lowa's in disguise. I use those for the long cold days where I'm standing around alot on the hill coaching. I'm pretty fortunate in the respect that the manufacturers hook me up with equipment each year so it keeps me on alot of new stuff.

My tele gear is actually in the opposite direction. Old School. I have a pair of 198 Black Diamond Eclipses and a set of now 12 year old Merril Super Comps. I think I'm kind of a traditionalist when it comes to tele skiing. I'd probably ride skinny wooden skis if I had some (and I actually do have some wooden X country skis).

I snowboard too, but not as much anymore, just not enough time and honestly I like skiing ALOT more.

[Exrunner]

Man, I hear ya on the snowboarding thing.....Skiing is way better in my opinion. And 99% of the snowboarders out there suck, tail edge the whole way down, and make an icy mess for everyone. Now, this isnt to say that there arent any good snowboarders, because there are, and when theyre good, theyre good. But most of them just tail edge, or are out of control...Ive been hit by so many boarders....And then bad words exit my mouth.

anyway....DUDE!!! You have a ton of BA ski's! Are you sponsored or something? You said something about manu's hooking you up with a lot of gear. Thats pretty tight. Fat ski's are where its at man. Of course, out west, that all you can really get around the back country on.

So you used to park (or still do) it up? I remember my trip to Snowmass, we were huckin HUGE grabs and spins and stuff off the massive table tops....it was one of the coolest feelings floating around in the air forever, then droppin super smooth down the backside...aaahhhhhh.....I wish I was there. Im still turning away from that though and hitting up the back country skiing and Double Blacks....the technical skiing does a lot more for me....and what I really want to do is combine the tricks with the big mountain....nail a huge backflip off a cliff or something...

Im rambling here....theres just not many people I talk to that ski, or ski like I ski (not trying to be cocky). Im trying to plan a trip to Park City for my spring break....keepin the fingers crossed for some mullah....anyway...later for now. Alex

[upcruiser]

Well, I'm a former racer and have been a coach now for 10 years. I coached a lot of different levels from club to NCAA to national team projects. I'm employed by the United States Ski and Snowboard Association and work part of my time as a coordinator for events in the Central Division and the rest of my time (actually more of it) as a coach for development projects for the Rocky/Central Region and the National Development System. In addition to that I work here and there on US Ski Team projects. Volkl, Tecnica, and Marker help me out with equipment and have been really great to work with. As far as parks, nah, I don't really get into them much. When I lived in Colorado I was big into the big moutain stuff. And when I lived in Crested Butte actually got to ride with Seth Morrison, Dave Bluestein, Dave Swanwick, and a buch of other really sick skiers that weren't as well known. Seth was nuts of course. My roomate and best friend from highschool was roomates with Seth in college and was/is pretty good friends with him. So, yeah we did some pretty sick stuff, but that was right before the freeriding/park scene went big. That whole scene was in part brought on by Seth and some of the innnovative stuff he was doing off piste. He rips..

Most of my time on snow though is spent coaching and working races. I love skiing a bit of everything but never had much time to get into the park scene, nor do I think I will. I like going fast, I like big air, and I like off piste, but I don't dig inverts, haha.

When's your spring break? I'll be in Park City April 9-13th or so. Probably after you'll be their though eh? Anyway, sounds cool, keep it ripping.

[Exrunner]

yeah...my spring break is march 4-10 or something like that....no worries.

Man, youre a higher-up on the skiing totem pole dude....US Ski Team stuff and all that...pretty cool...I cant imagine what it would be like to make a living skiing. Thats way cool that you knew some of the original park fellas too.

Im out...good talkin, Alex

[devinsixtyseven]

Thought I'd poke this thread back to life...

I ride and telemark. I've worn downhills before, but...I dunno...it wasn't for me, despite over a decade of racing skinny skis...I guess that's why I went tele first, then got a board after riding a longboard to class in college every day for a year.

I can't count how many out of control skiiers I've been hit by...doesn't matter what people wear, boards are hardly The Problem so many skiiers seem to think they are, and now I see sooooo many skiiers with the same clothing and attitude that used to be exclusive to snowboarders that there isn't much difference anymore other than number of edges and the occasional throwback attitude...you guys have been around long enough to know the stereotypes and sources the bad attitudes came from on both sides, and the vast gulf between having an attitude vs possessing skill! It's just like Jeeps vs Toyotas vs Hummers vs people who know it's all in the driver.

On a more positive note, I've occasionally gotten a momentum dump from a friendly skiier when I'm stuck on a slow section...keep that in mind next time you see a bunch of kids all stuck on a traverse, they appreciate the help, it's great for a laugh, they'll remember it, and it goes a long way to ditch the rift and stereotypes that boarders and skiers still level at each other.

Ya really gotta push yourself to learn and grow, and going with someone who's more experienced (and patient) really helps. I started on my own, watched other people, then started riding with a buddy who's been snowboarding for about two decades now, and my tech improved dramatically in the first week alone. That was last season, now I'm learning to ride bumps and land solid. It also helps to try and teach someone else from square one--you can help them avoid all the problems you had, and explaining the technique greatly helps your own. Personally, I think every day is a technique day...or it should be. Right now, helping someone learn to transition and carve regular is helping me learn to do the same switch, which I hadn't really worked until now. There's definately still an awful lot for me to learn.

I used to go up with one or two people on boards, one guy on dh skis and me on the teles...it was a lot of fun, and really highlighted the specialties of everyone's chosen equipment. Downhill skis definately seemed the most capable in any terrain, particularly when it got technical, while snowboards seem to float and carve like nothing else, and nothing seems as graceful as a tele skiier floating the bumps (I am not one of those, but I can aspire).

I have a pair of old Garmont Firepower boots and Hot Chiles on a pair of cheapo downhill boards...one of these days I do plan on getting a pair of real tele boards, cheap and used...I've just been learning the board the last couple seasons and really enjoy it.

The board is a Burton BMG or something--slightly asymmetrical tip to tail all-mountain board--it's been a "white label" with a sticker over the topside mark since the day I bought it so I don't remember if it's BMG or BMC, with Nidecker 960s and Northwave boots. It's a very, very responsive setup, and I dig the bindings over anything else I've tried...they're an upgrade from a set of 800s I got when I bought the board (which were an upgrade from a set of Salomons).

-Sean

[texas taco]

Try living in south east texas, and being a free heeler. Noting like working out the turns!!! trying to move to B.V. Colorado as we speak. people around here start talking aboukt skiing,and you tell them you tellemark and they think our are a call solicitor.

[kellymoe]

Telemark for the last 20+ years.

[pskhaat]

I think this winter should require an ExPo Freeheel Rally in CO.

[DaveInDenver]

I think this winter should require an ExPo Freeheel Rally in CO.

Might I suggest my home mountain, Loveland? Very pinhead friendly.